1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic parking brake (EPB) system and a method of controlling the same, and more particularly, to an EPB system which controls an operation or release of an EPB and a method of controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an electronic parking brake (EPB) system which is installed on a conventional disk brake and electronically controls driving of a parking brake is being used for performing a function of the parking brake.
Such an EPB system includes an EPB actuator including a motor which generates braking power and an electronic control unit (ECU) for driving the EPB actuator.
The ECU drives the EPB actuator to apply or to release the parking brake.
A safety mechanism implemented as concept for protection of a conventional EPB actuator uses a current waveform that is capable of checking and reacting to an extreme situation in which an operation is not performed due to an insertion or a movement is not stopped due to being broken due to a destruction or an abnormal operation of the EPB actuator, such as a stuck motor or a motor overrun. The stuck motor refers to a motor that cannot rotate due to the motor's mechanical insertion. The motor overrun refers to current that does not vary because a motor is not loaded.
However, various demands for functional safety of the EPB system due to recent strengthening of safety requirements of electronic components greatly influence product competitiveness.
Accordingly, various safety mechanisms are being developed for protecting electronic components of the EPB actuator, and there is a need to protect hardware components of the EPB actuator by checking whether the EPB actuator is operating abnormally in advance and reacting to the abnormal operation before the EPB actuator is placed in the above-described extreme state.